Marvel’s newest limited series throws Daredevil into a world that's barely holding together — and shows us a Matt Murdock who might not be either. Cold Day in Hell #1 is grim, heavy, and honestly, exactly the kind of Daredevil story I love. Here’s how the Devil found his way back… and why it might break him all over again.
SPOILERS
Ashes of a Fallen City
Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell wastes no time showing us that this isn’t the Marvel Universe we’re used to. New York is wrecked, divided, and rotting away after some world-breaking event that’s left society in shambles.
At the center of it all is Matt Murdock — older, weaker, and long since retired from being Daredevil. We first catch up with him visiting Wilson Fisk’s grave, casually mentioning a run-in with Jessica Jones. Nowadays, Matt’s way of helping is running a soup kitchen called Battlin’ Jack’s — a small light in a world that's mostly darkness.
The Man Without Hope
The creative team of Charles Soule and Steve McNiven does a killer job showing just how far Matt has fallen. He’s not a fighter anymore. He’s just a man trying to be kind — and even that doesn’t get him very far.
In one of the book’s rougher moments, Matt tries to help a homeless man only to get mugged and shoved down a flight of subway stairs for his trouble. Even after that, Matt still offers the guy a free meal at Battlin’ Jack’s. It’s a heartbreaking beat that reminds you: Matt Murdock might be broken, but he’s still Matt Murdock.
The Blast That Brought the Devil Back
Everything changes after a dirty bomb rips through a subway station, filling it with some weird radioactive gas. Matt breathes it in — and in a brutal sensory overload, his superpowers come roaring back.
The creative team makes you feel it — the pain, the confusion, the flood of information. But once Matt gets a grip, the old instincts kick in. Even half-dead, Matt dives right back into saving people trapped in the wreckage. Because that’s just who he is.
A Soldier’s Last Stand
While pulling people from the rubble, Matt stumbles on a brutal sight: a battered, grizzled Captain America holding up a mountain of debris to protect a passed-out kid.
Cap’s dying, and he knows it. With what little strength he has left, he begs Matt to save the girl — calling her “the key to all this” — before finally succumbing to his injuries. It’s a gut punch. Even legends die in this world.
Blood in the Shadows
Later on, Matt spots a crew of hazmat-suited thugs trying to steal Cap’s shield for their mysterious boss. Despite being older and battered, Matt’s reflexes are back — and they’re deadly.
Tracking their scent, he tails them to a hideout straight out of a nightmare: a radiation-poisoned madman holding a limbless Frank Castle (yeah, the Punisher) hostage.
When the thugs mention their assailant was a redheaded blind man, the boss immediately figures it out: Daredevil is back.
And that boss?
Bullseye.
Still one of Matt’s most brutal, twisted enemies — and somehow even worse in this new world.
The Last Temptation of Matt Murdock
Meanwhile, Matt finds what’s left of his old Daredevil costume. It’s tattered. It’s dusty. And it’s exactly what he needs. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen might be older, slower, and beat to hell — but he’s not done yet.
Verdict:
Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1 feels like a brutal mix of Old Man Logan and The Dark Knight Returns, but it still feels completely Daredevil at its heart. It is everything I love in an end-times story and there’s no getting around it — Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve. If you’re a fan of books like Old Man Logan or The Dark Knight Returns, you’ll feel right at home here.
But what makes this story stand out is that Matt Murdock isn’t just fighting against a broken world — he’s fighting against himself. Unlike Logan or Bruce, who come back because they’re angry, Matt comes back because he can’t refuse the call. Even when it gets him hurt. Even when it’s hopeless. It’s a quieter, sadder kind of return. And honestly? That makes it hit way harder.
The art carries so much of the heavy lifting, painting New York like a rotting fruit eaten away by war and violence. And through it all, Matt wrestles with the idea that maybe — just maybe — all of this is part of God’s plan. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. But whether it’s faith or just stubbornness, Matt chooses to believe it. And that's enough to put the Devil back in the fight one last time. I can’t wait for Issue #2.